Eva Perón

Eva Perón, née María Eva Duarte (1919-1952), Argentine political figure and second wife of Juan Domingo Perón. Born in Los Toldos, she began an acting career at the age of 15. She met Perón in 1944, when she was a successful radio soap opera actor, and was married to him in 1945. After his inauguration as president in 1946, she began to play an active role in politics, became his liaison with labor, created the Eva Perón Foundation (a social welfare institution), and organized the women's branch of the Justicialist Party. By 1949, Evita, as she was affectionately known, was the second most influential figure in Argentina and coleader of the descamisados (“shirtless ones”), the mainstay of her husband's support. Worshiped by her followers and hated by her opponents, she sought the vice-presidency in 1951 but was blocked by the military.